Planting berries as a means for financial independence in the West Bank.
This story has been reported by the Mideast News Source, the Media Line: There was a time when Kalkilya was the focus of bomb making and terrorism but a new program is aiming to turn this Palestinian city into the strawberry capital of the West Bank.
The first crop of the ruby red fruit in this pilot program is halfway to harvest. The Palestinians hope to be able to cash in on the lucrative Christmas markets in Europe and possibly sell strawberries to a major international ice cream producer.
“I grow strawberries here, and this is where it starts,” said Ahmed Zed, 31, a Palestinian carrot farmer who decided to take up the risky endeavor and grow strawberries.
“Inshallah (God willing) we’ll get the support we need and we’ll become millionaires,” he told The Media Line during a visit to his fields, adjacent to the security barrier Israel set up five years ago.
Rima Malallah, a young woman living and creating in Amman, Jordan, is bringing her colorful handmade art to the Ammanian masses. Different from other galleries in Amman, Malallah offers a wide variety of products (including original paintings, prints, postcards, journals, cards, jewelry, handpainted ties, hand-knit scarves, bottle vases, key chains and coasters) and encourages interaction with her clients. Customers can walk in and commission a piece from her directly.
Muslims succumb to swine flu during annual Hajj pilgrimage. 
PG&E says it will more than a billion in alternative energy projects.